Who this is for

Adoption practitioners and managers (Voluntary Adoption Agencies, Regional Adoption Agencies, Local Authorities, and independent social workers), children’s social care services, children and family social workers, foster carers, kinship carers and other professionals working with children and families.

Details

As adoption practitioners we know that there’s no such thing as adoption without trauma. Our training and practice encourages us to continually reflect on the trauma of the adopted child and how best to respond to the resulting emotional, behavioural and relational difficulties they experience.

But what if the trauma belongs to the parent?  And what if that trauma is not vicarious or secondary in nature but instead comes directly from the challenges of parenting their child?  Is there an alternative to child-centred practice that allow us to equally recognise the needs of adopters and, if so, might this actually produce better results for the child long term?

In this training course, Adopter and Psychotherapist Fi Newood shares her experience of the false allegations, violence, coercive-control, verbal abuse, adoption disruption, professional judgement and more, that led to both trauma in the moment and PTSD years later.  She asks whether we can hold empathy for the child whilst also recognising the experience of the parent?

Throughout the course, participants will be encouraged to ‘sit with the uncomfortable’ that we might learn to offer a deeper level of support and connection to adopters.

This course will be challenging as we explore the thoughts and feeling that many adopters find hard to express to the professionals supporting them.

Learning outcomes

• To reflect on the difficult experiences that impact some adopters when caring for their children.
• To recognise the difference between what may be hard for an adopter and what may be traumatic.
• To learn how to respond to adopters ‘in the moment’ in ways that feel supportive for them.
• To consider the long-term impact for adopters and support that may be helpful.
• To hear an honest, first-hand experience of an adopter and have the opportunity to ask questions

About the trainer

Fi Newood

Fi Newood has spent more than 20 years working with care experienced young people.  In 2008 she and her wife fostered a sibling group of three who they later adopted in 2015. Fi now works as an Integrative Psychotherapist specialising in support for foster and adoptive families. She is the creator of the 3B’s Therapeutic Model (Belong, Believe, Behave) and an author of 2 books for parents and 4 therapeutic stories for children.

Instructions

A member of staff will be in touch with attendees one week prior to the event to share a pre-event delegate pack.

If you have any questions regarding this webinar, please contact us at info@cvaa.org.uk. We will aim to answer your query within two working days.

CVAA accept online payments only. In case you do not have instant access to your company card, we suggest using your personal card instead to book a training event and claim it back with your agency in your expenses. Requesting an invoice to pay for our standard practice events is not possible.

Who this is for

CEOs and Directors of Adoption Agencies, Senior managers, Senior adoption practitioners and Team managers of Regional Adoption Agencies and Local Authorities

Details

In its national adoption strategy (published in 2021), the government set out its intention to explore with Ofsted how to improve the current inspection and regulation arrangements, to achieve ‘the right level of scrutiny and reassurance across all key elements of adoption practice, and more accurately reflect the way that services are now delivered’. This session will provide a chance for delegates to hear more about this and share thoughts on the potential opportunities for improvement.

“It’s a relatively unique opportunity to ‘sit down’ with Ofsted and discuss inspection and Ofsted’s work away from the pressure of an inspection. We can learn more about each other’s perspective this way.” – Attendee, October 2020

The session will provide an overview of Ofsted’s role in adoption, recent inspection findings, and insights from the thematic inspection report on Regional Adoption Agencies (RAAs).

Delegates will gain a deeper understanding of how Ofsted evaluates adoption services, including the criteria used to ensure these services meet the required standards. Recent inspection outcomes will be discussed, highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement. This will include an examination of how well adoption services support children and prospective adopters, and the overall effectiveness of these services in delivering positive outcomes.

The session will also delve into the findings from Ofsted’s thematic inspections of RAAs, identifying trends, best practices, and challenges within the sector. By exploring innovative practices and successful strategies implemented by some adoption agencies, delegates will learn how these can be adopted more widely to enhance service quality.

“[I enjoyed…] hearing that Ofsted are working with VAA’s and RAA’s to ensure excellent adoption services work for children and families. I also really gained from considering different ways of ensuring the child and young persons voice is heard and influential in all we do. A really useful webinar.” – Attendee, March 2022

We expect that regulatory inspectors will be able to join the discussion. Delegates are encouraged to submit specific questions ahead of the session.

This expert-led practice session will be delivered under the Chatham House Rule. The Chatham House Rule helps create a trusted environment to understand and resolve complex problems. Its guiding spirit is: share the information you receive but do not reveal the identity of who said it.

Learning outcomes

• Through discussion, an up-to-date overview of policy developments relating to Ofsted’s adoption inspections
• A wider understanding of inspection approach and methodology, and recent inspection findings
• Hear Ofsted’s reflections on their inspections of adoption services
• Discuss common priorities and share views on how inspection can best support improvement in practice

About the trainer

Tracey Coglan Greig

Tracey is Ofsted’s Senior Officer for Adoption and Fostering. She leads on the ongoing development and oversight of inspection frameworks, policy, and guidance in relation to adoption and fostering. Prior to taking up this post in February 2022, Tracey worked for Ofsted as a social care regulatory inspector. In that role she registered, inspected, and monitored a range of children’s social care settings including voluntary adoption agencies, adoption support agencies and children’s services in local authorities. Before she joined Ofsted Tracey worked for 26 years in both private and statutory children’s services.

Instructions

A member of staff will be in touch with attendees one week prior to the event to share a pre-event delegate pack.

If you have any questions regarding this webinar, please contact us at info@cvaa.org.uk. We will aim to answer your query within two working days.

CVAA accept online payments only. In case you do not have instant access to your company card, we suggest using your personal card instead to book a training event and claim it back with your agency in your expenses. Requesting an invoice to pay for our standard practice events is not possible.

Who this is for

CEOs and Directors of Adoption Agencies, Senior managers, Senior adoption practitioners and Team managers of Voluntary Adoption Agencies

Details

In its national adoption strategy (published in 2021), the government set out its intention to explore with Ofsted how to improve the current inspection and regulation arrangements, to achieve ‘the right level of scrutiny and reassurance across all key elements of adoption practice, and more accurately reflect the way that services are now delivered’. This session will provide a chance for delegates to hear more about this and share thoughts on the potential opportunities for improvement.

“It’s a relatively unique opportunity to ‘sit down’ with Ofsted and discuss inspection and Ofsted’s work away from the pressure of an inspection. We can learn more about each other’s perspective this way.” – Attendee, October 2020

“[I enjoyed…] Hearing that Ofsted are working with VAA’s and RAA’s to ensure excellent adoption services work for children and families. I also really gained from considering different ways of ensuring the child and young persons voice is heard and influential in all we do. A really useful webinar.” – Attendee, March 2022

We expect that regulatory inspectors will be able to join the discussion. Delegates are encouraged to submit specific questions ahead of the session.

This expert-led practice session will be delivered under the Chatham House Rule. The Chatham House Rule helps create a trusted environment to understand and resolve complex problems. Its guiding spirit is: share the information you receive but do not reveal the identity of who said it.

Learning outcomes

• Through discussion, an up-to-date overview of policy developments relating to Ofsted’s adoption inspections
• A wider understanding of the inspection approach and methodology, and recent inspection findings
• Hear Ofsted’s reflections on their inspections of adoption services
• Share your experiences of adoption inspections
• Discuss common priorities and share views on how inspection can best support improvement in practice

About the trainer

Tracey Coglan Greig

Tracey is Ofsted’s Senior Officer for Adoption and Fostering. She leads on the ongoing development and oversight of inspection frameworks, policy, and guidance in relation to adoption and fostering. Prior to taking up this post in February 2022, Tracey worked for Ofsted as a social care regulatory inspector. In that role she registered, inspected, and monitored a range of children’s social care settings including voluntary adoption agencies, adoption support agencies and children’s services in local authorities. Before she joined Ofsted Tracey worked for 26 years in both private and statutory children’s services.

Instructions

A member of staff will be in touch with attendees one week prior to the event to share a pre-event delegate pack.

If you have any questions regarding this webinar, please contact us at info@cvaa.org.uk. We will aim to answer your query within two working days.

CVAA accept online payments only. In case you do not have instant access to your company card, we suggest using your personal card instead to book a training event and claim it back with your agency in your expenses. Requesting an invoice to pay for our standard practice events is not possible.

Who this is for

Adoption practitioners and managers (Voluntary Adoption Agencies, Regional Adoption Agencies, Local Authorities, and independent social workers), children’s social care services, and children and family social workers.

Details

This expert-led training session is designed for adoption assessment practitioners to enhance their ability to support prospective adoptive parents who are dealing with various forms of loss during the assessment process. This practice event provides an opportunity to sensitively address the profound emotional challenges that individuals and couples may face, including the death of a child, miscarriage, termination of a pregnancy, infertility, and the loss of expectations and dreams of becoming parents. Participants will also explore the implications of viewing adoption as the ‘next step’ in their journey.

The day led by Lynda Graham will offer a safe and reflective space for practitioners to:

• Discuss and process the grief associated with child loss, miscarriage, pregnancy termination, and infertility
• Understand the impact of unmet expectations and dreams of parenthood
• Consider the complexities of viewing adoption as an alternative path

Learning 0utcomes

• Consider the implications of adoption assessment for those who dealing with loss
• An opportunity to reflect on practice to date and how this might change
• Gain knowledge on how best to support individuals and couples
• Understand more about processing grief and practical ideas for future work
• Support prospective parents by offering time out for counseling as part of the process
• Think about how to respect their experiences and honouring their loss

About the trainer

Lynda Graham

Lynda is a Senior Accredited Counsellor with National Counselling Society. After twenty-five years as a Social Worker and Senior Practitioner, Lynda set up a Private Counselling Practice. She has a particular interest in Post Placement Blues/Depression and has set up a Specialist Counselling and Support Service for prospective and new adoptive parents who are struggling following the placement of their child/children. Having researched this topic for her MSc in Counselling she also provides training to potential adoptive parents, Social Workers and other professionals.

Lynda is also Counselling Supervisor and Trainer and Adoption Panel member with a local Health and Social Care Trust.

Instructions

A member of staff will be in touch with attendees one week prior to the event to share a pre-event delegate pack.

If you have any questions regarding this webinar, please contact us at info@cvaa.org.uk. We will aim to answer your query within two working days.

CVAA accept online payments only. In case you do not have instant access to your company card, we suggest using your personal card instead to book a training event and claim it back with your agency in your expenses. Requesting an invoice to pay for our standard practice events is not possible.

Who this is for

Adoption practitioners and managers (Voluntary Adoption Agencies, Regional Adoption Agencies, Local Authorities, and independent social workers), children’s social care services, children and family social workers, foster carers, kinship carers, designated teachers, and other professionals working with children and families.

Details

This training session is an introduction to the Non Violent Resistance (NVR) principles and more specifically, how it can work with adoptive families, who are facing challenging and violent behaviours from their children. This session will offer ideas on how to support for families when they have either completed an NVR training, or are thinking of doing the training.

NVR was developed by Haim Omer at Tel Aviv University, as a response to child to parent violence. The focus is on therapeutic support and psycho educational intervention which involves the parents only, without working directly with the child. The aim in NVR is to increase positive parental presence and parental authority in the child’s life and make family relationships stronger. It is an evidenced based, short term systemic and effective intervention that enhances the protection and safety of all family members.

Joanna is an Integrative Arts Psychotherapist and NVR Facilitator, who has been delivering NVR groups for 6 years to adoptive parent/s, special guardians and foster carer/s at PAC-UK. She integrates creative techniques into the NVR training she delivers with the families, so that it is bespoke, in response to their child’s specific needs, and is both meaningful and playful.

Joanna understands the gravity of the situation when a family in crisis and the very real risk of a placement breaking down. Supporting the professionals to support these families, when they are facing such difficulties, can make the difference between a family staying together, or not. Joanna has witnessed NVR working in action first hand, with very positive results in families. This course aims to raise NVR awareness in professionals, so that they can have a basic understanding of how it can work for families in practice.

Parents say that the NVR course helps them change the dynamics of violence within their home, helping them to feel empowered and confident by insisting that violence in the home will stop. It is not a quick fix but teaches enduring, mindful responses that increase parental authority and presence without resorting to control or engaging in the downward spiral that violent coercive children bring when they feel out of control and uncontained.

Learning 0utcomes

• Overview of NVR
• Understanding the key NVR principles and language
• Understanding how NVR works specifically with adoptive/ special guardian/foster families.
• How to support families with the NVR approach
• Creative ideas and NVR in practice

About the trainer

Joanna Parker

Prior to working in the field of adoption, Joanna Parker specialised in the substance misuse area as an Integrative Arts Psychotherapist and Young Oasis Manager, for over 10 years, working closely alongside families, social services, foster carers and the children themselves. Joanna has advocated for the needs of these children tirelessly and has observed first hand the whole process that can lead to a child being placed in care. Joanna wanted to know what happened to those children who were adopted, hence moving form working with the birth families, to working with the adoptive families – always child-centred, with a keen eye on their needs. In 2018, Joanna left a full-time post as Young Oasis Lead in Brighton and moved to London to broaden her experience of different work contexts and ways of working, and to further develop what she could offer to clients. Joanna has experience of working with children and young people who experience attachment difficulties, trauma, loss, and are in foster care or adoption/permanency.

Instructions

A member of staff will be in touch with attendees one week prior to the event to share a pre-event delegate pack.

If you have any questions regarding this webinar, please contact us at info@cvaa.org.uk. We will aim to answer your query within two working days.

CVAA accept online payments only. In case you do not have instant access to your company card, we suggest using your personal card instead to book a training event and claim it back with your agency in your expenses. Requesting an invoice to pay for our standard practice events is not possible.

Who this is for

Adoption practitioners and managers (Voluntary Adoption Agencies, Regional Adoption Agencies, Local Authorities, and independent social workers), children’s social care services, children and family social workers, foster carers, kinship carers, designated teachers, and other professionals working with children and families.

Details

This expert-led training session will focus on the impact of substance misuse on a child and their journey through to adoption. The aim is to understand what this journey can look and feel like for a child and the ongoing impact of this trauma on them and their adoptive families.

During this comprehensive training session, you will embark on a journey to gain a deep understanding of the multifaceted challenges faced by children impacted by familial substance misuse, from prenatal exposure through to adoption. We will begin by exploring the complex landscape of familial substance misuse, examining its prevalence, underlying factors, and the intricate web of consequences it presents for children’s development.

Delving into the effects of prenatal exposure to substances, we will analyse the physiological, cognitive, and emotional ramifications, and discuss evidence-based interventions to mitigate these impacts. Navigating the journey from utero to adoption, we will uncover the unique challenges encountered at each stage, from early childhood development to adolescence, and beyond.

You will learn about the importance of trauma-informed care, resilience-building strategies, and the critical role of supportive relationships in promoting healing and growth. In the context of adoption, we will explore the dynamics of the adoption process in cases involving substance misuse within birth families and the provision of tailored support for adoptive families.

Through interactive group discussions, and practical exercises, participants will have the opportunity to apply their learning to real-life scenarios, honing their skills in providing compassionate and effective support to children and families navigating this complex journey.

Learning 0utcomes

• Understanding a child’s ‘felt’ experience
• What the impact of substance misuse on a child can look like – behaviours
• Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and intergenerational trauma
• Resources on substance misuse
• Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
• Issues around social injustice

About the trainer

Joanna Parker

Prior to working in the field of adoption, Joanna Parker specialised in the substance misuse area as an Integrative Arts Psychotherapist and Young Oasis Manager, for over 10 years, working closely alongside families, social services, foster carers and the children themselves. Joanna has advocated for the needs of these children tirelessly and has observed first hand the whole process that can lead to a child being placed in care. Joanna wanted to know what happened to those children who were adopted, hence moving form working with the birth families, to working with the adoptive families – always child-centred, with a keen eye on their needs. In 2018, Joanna left a full-time post as Young Oasis Lead in Brighton and moved to London to broaden her experience of different work contexts and ways of working, and to further develop what she could offer to clients. Joanna has experience of working with children and young people who experience attachment difficulties, trauma, loss, and are in foster care or adoption/permanency.

Instructions

A member of staff will be in touch with attendees one week prior to the event to share a pre-event delegate pack.

If you have any questions regarding this webinar, please contact us at info@cvaa.org.uk. We will aim to answer your query within two working days.

CVAA accept online payments only. In case you do not have instant access to your company card, we suggest using your personal card instead to book a training event and claim it back with your agency in your expenses. Requesting an invoice to pay for our standard practice events is not possible.

Who this is for

Adoption practitioners and managers (Voluntary Adoption Agencies, Regional Adoption Agencies, Local Authorities, and independent social workers), children’s social care services, children and family social workers, foster carers, and other professionals working with children and families.

Details

What is known about the well-being of children placed with parents who do not share their racial or ethnic heritage? Additionally, how can social workers assist parents in supporting their child’s ethnic identity and self-esteem while ensuring a thorough assessment process?

“It was very interesting to hear other professional perspective on the issues discussed. It was also beneficial to hear personal stories, to better understand the challenges and also strengths of transracial placements. From this, I have identified ways of which I could improve my practice in the future, particularly in relation to assessment discussions” – Attendee, 2022

Adolescence and emerging adulthood pose unique challenges to developing ethnic identity, particularly for transracial adoptees. We will highlight key findings from international studies on these topics and provide guidelines for practitioners working with transracial adoptive families.

This training aims to use the lived experience of adoptees alongside research findings to understand the challenges for children placed transracially or trans ethnically with adoptive parents and to think about the skills needed in assessment and beyond to assess and support families.

“It addressed the issue from so many perspectives – thinking about assessments, follow up work with families, personal histories and experiences of adopters and adoptees. It made for a very interactive and really interesting seminar” – Attendee, 2022

The training day will be facilitated by Jan Way MBE who is a social worker, adoption advisor, adoptee and a transracial adoptive parent. Joanna Burnett is a panel member and a transracial adoptee.

Learning outcomes

• To learn and understand the challenges to the adoptee of being transracially placed
• To consider key research findings and the value they can bring to understanding
• To explore the key ideas that workers should focus upon in assessment in order to built rigour into the process and ensure the child’s needs remain paramount

About the trainer

Jan Way MBE

Jan has been a social worker since 1975, working in a range of settings including hospitals, local authorities and adoption agencies. For the last 35 years she has worked in the adoption field, specialising in intercountry adoption and working as a senior manager for IAC- The Centre for Adoption. She now acts as the training and research advisor for the agency and as a panel chair. She has published several articles in journals on intercountry adoption and the issues and challenges that arise with these placements and runs specialist training sessions on these topics. In 2019 she was awarded an MBE for her work in intercountry adoption.

Jan is also an adopted person and an adoptive mother, having adopted a daughter from South America. In addition to her daughter, who is now 35, she has two grown up birth daughters.

Instructions

A member of staff will be in touch with attendees one week prior to the event to share a pre-event delegate pack.

If you have any questions regarding this webinar, please contact us at info@cvaa.org.uk. We will aim to answer your query within two working days.

CVAA accept online payments only. In case you do not have instant access to your company card, we suggest using your personal card instead to book a training event and claim it back with your agency in your expenses. Requesting an invoice to pay for our standard practice events is not possible.

Who this is for

Panel members, Adoption practitioners (Voluntary Adoption Agencies, Regional Adoption Agencies and Local Authorities),  Independent Professionals and other professionals who are working with children.

Details

Adoption Panels play an important role in providing quality assurance and objectivity to the decision-making process for approving adopters and agreeing proposed matches between children and adopters. Panels are intended to be multi-disciplinary bodies with a considerable element of independence from the agency with panel members bringing a variety of different skills, knowledge and experience, both personal and professional which they can use to inform their deliberations and where needed to offer challenge and advice to the agency on their practice.

During this expert-led training, there will be an opportunity for panel members to reflect on how the personal and professional experience, skills, knowledge and values they are bringing to their role and contributing the panel process and how this can impact on the decision-making process.

“It was well-prepared, structured and delivered. I enjoyed the groups being mixed differently for each ‘time-out’ and that we knew exactly what our ‘topic’ was.” – Attendee, 2023

Key messages from research on what qualities to look for when assessing and approving adopters and on what contributes to a ‘successful match’ will help participants think about what to look for when reading panel paperwork and we will think about how panel members can identify potential vulnerabilities and use this to inform the questions they ask at the panel meeting so they can be effective in making their recommendations to the agency.

“The training was well structured with a good balance of theory and group work.” – Attendee, 2023

Finally, we will discuss how panels are kept informed about the needs of their agency –  adopter sufficiency policies, the children needing adoption and learning from outcomes of placements.

Learning 0utcomes

• Consider how their personal and professional experience, values and beliefs contribute to and influence their role on Panel
• Reflect on the key messages from research on the qualities needed by prospective adopters and what contributes to making a successful match
• Consider the purpose of applicants attending panel and what weight to give the information gained at panel alongside the written reports provided when making the recommendation
• Exploring how identifying potential vulnerabilities can help inform the questions they ask to assist with making their recommendation
• Reflect on how they are kept informed about the needs of their agency –  adopters who are most needed, children needing adoption, outcomes of placements made and how this informs their work on panel

About the trainer

Elaine Dibben is an independent Social Work Consultant offering consultancy and training on adoption and fostering issues and also chairs adoption and fostering panels, the South East Post Adoption Network ( SEPAN) and Coram’s early Permanence Network. She previously worked as the Adoption Development Consultant at CoramBAAF and managed the Independent Review Mechanism (IRM) when it was first established. Elaine has worked in adoption and fostering since qualifying as a social worker in 1988, both in local authorities and at Barnardo’s. She has been involved in writing several books for CoramBAAF including Completing a Child’s Permanence Report (2014); Preparing to Adopt (2014); Adoption by Foster Carers (2016); The Role of Fostering for Adoption in Achieving Early Permanence for Children – Good Practice Guide (2017) and Undertaking an Adoption Assessment in England (most recent edition in 2020).

Instructions

A member of staff will be in touch with attendees one week prior to the event to share a pre-event delegate pack.

If you have any questions regarding this webinar, please contact us at info@cvaa.org.uk. We will aim to answer your query within two working days.

CVAA accept online payments only. In case you do not have instant access to your company card, we suggest using your personal card instead to book a training event and claim it back with your agency in your expenses. Requesting an invoice to pay for our standard practice events is not possible.

Who this is for

Intermediaries, adoption practitioners and managers (Voluntary Adoption Agencies, Regional Adoption Agencies, Local Authorities, and independent social workers)

Details

“Intermediary.” One word to describe such a massive event! The bringing together of parents and their adult children and their siblings, mostly separated from very young, in a way that  supports all their high emotions, wants and fears and can hope to build for a future relationship. No wonder it’s a glorious minefield of uncertainty, legality, best practice, individual experience and big complex emotions. Its not all Long Lost Family…

Through personal testimony from adopted people and birth relatives, clear and precise examination of practice and the law, case studies and discussion we’ll look at the differing perspectives involved, the  legal framework and changes to it, the challenges and risks of intermediary with historic and contemporary adoption and making contact, mediation and building relationships.

Learning outcomes

• Understand the differing perspectives and needs of adoptees, birth family and adoptive family in intermediary
• Understand the legal framework governing intermediary and changes over the years including Pre and Post Commencement and Descendants of Adopted people.
• Best practice in support, making contact, mediating , reunion and building relationships
• Risks and safeguarding in historic and modern adoption
• Intermediary in a digital world of social media and DNA

About the trainers

Mike Hancock 

Mike is the National Strategic Lead and Head of Adult Services (Leeds) at PAC-UK, supervising social workers and counsellors who work with birth relatives and adopted adults. Mike worked with contemporary birth parents for a number of years in Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and Halifax seeing them at community bases and at home. He has run groups for these service users as well as presenting training for professionals around adoption issues. Mike has a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling and is an accredited member of the BACP.

Emma Crowther – Duncan

Emma is the North Adult Services Regional Manager at PAC-UK. Emma has worked predominantly within Local Authorities including Derbyshire and Manchester as a Social worker and Senior Practitioner within Child Protection teams. Most recently Emma has worked with an adoption and permanence team progressing children’s adoption plans and preparing children for adoption which included life story work with children and birth parents. Emma has also worked as a Social Worker within a residential assessment centre undertaking court directed PAMs Assessments for parents with learning difficulties.

Instructions

A member of staff will be in touch with attendees one week prior to the event to share a pre-event delegate pack.

If you have any questions regarding this webinar, please contact us at info@cvaa.org.uk. We will aim to answer your query within two working days.

CVAA accept online payments only. In case you do not have instant access to your company card, we suggest using your personal card instead to book a training event and claim it back with your agency in your expenses. Requesting an invoice to pay for our standard practice events is not possible.

Who this is for

Adoption practitioners and managers (Voluntary Adoption Agencies, Regional Adoption Agencies, Local Authorities, and independent social workers), children’s social care services, children and family social workers, foster carers, kinship carers, designated teachers, and other professionals working with children and families.

Details

Throughout this session, expert trainer Hedwig Verhagen will delve into strategies for understanding and addressing the unique needs of adopters who have experienced trauma firsthand. You will gain valuable insights into trauma-responsive approaches, fostering a deeper understanding of trauma’s impact on the adoption journey.

Key topics to be covered include:

• Recognizing the signs and symptoms of trauma in adopters
• Implementing trauma-informed practices within adoption agencies and support networks
• Building resilient and supportive environments for adopters and their families
• Navigating challenges and promoting healing in the adoption process

These learning outcomes will be achieved through a combination of theoretical input, small group discussions and reflection on a case study.

Learning 0utcomes

• Considering the benefits of trauma-informed and trauma-responsive practice in adoption service
• Exploring models of trauma-informed practice
• Exploring attachment patterns and the potential impact of traumatic experiences on attachment behaviours
•  Planning next steps in the process of increasing trauma-responsiveness for practitioners, teams and the organisation

About the trainer

Hedwig Verhagen is an independent therapeutic social worker and a social work lecturer at the University of Leeds. She has an MSc in Therapeutic Interventions for Psychological Trauma. She has worked in adoption and special guardianship support services for many years and was part of the small team that set up the Centre for Adoption Support in Warrington. Hedwig has a special interest in attachment, sensory processing and body-focused approaches to working with trauma.

Instructions

A member of staff will be in touch with attendees one week prior to the event to share a pre-event delegate pack.

If you have any questions regarding this webinar, please contact us at info@cvaa.org.uk. We will aim to answer your query within two working days.

CVAA accept online payments only. In case you do not have instant access to your company card, we suggest using your personal card instead to book a training event and claim it back with your agency in your expenses. Requesting an invoice to pay for our standard practice events is not possible.